I don't know anything about it but I saw this a while ago and thought I would share it:

http://schmartboard.com/

Welcome to SchmartBoard!

Products: SchmartBoard is the destination for people who want to hand solder surface mount (SMT) components. Are you an engineer, technician, educator, student or DIY hobbyist who has avoided utilizing SMT components? Those days are officially over, because with SchmartBoard practically anyone can hand solder SOIC, QFP, PLCC, QFN, and discrete surface mount components.

Thanks TKall. I actually do have a pad board but just one and I wanted to save it for a different project. but ive been thinking, for example there is a Discrete Board from schmartboard, similar to my pad board. How would I solder a 3 pad device like a transistor? In holes or pads?

I use a scalpel to cut strip board. You can cut a slot between the holes to give you 0.05" spacing. You can cut either side of a hole and mount the two connections of a transistor either side with the third spanning the gap to the next track.

I also use bluetack to hold things steady. Also get a good pair of tweezers.

You pretty much need a PCB with the appropriate pattern on it for most SMD work - however beyond that, the actual soldering often isn't that bad.

Breakout boards for specific packages are also reasonably available on ebay and from the usual hobby electronics vendors - the common ones are dirt cheap on ebay - though inevitably you end up with a mess of little boards.

As it happens, I sell some prototyping board that has slots for SMD parts on it, which sounds like it might be just what some people here are looking for: (image is a link)

My technique for soldering them I think is pretty standard....

Securely hold board (I use a desk-vise which I can move and rotate easily, but is heavy enough to hold the board still).I put solder on the board, on one pad for each part. Then I go back and tack each part in place on that one pin (tweezers in one hand, iron in other). Then I put flux on all the unsoldered pins. Passives are soldered normally, SOIC/TSSOP/TQFP/etc by drag soldering (youtube it). I frankly prefer soldering SOIC over DIP now.

1. If I buy a board like this, I can't really cut it up to use parts of it, right? Boards themselves are kind of brittle. So if I want a board I better be ready to use as much of it as possible or be able to part with unused sections of the board. On the up-side, they're cheap.

2. Transistors are a pretty basic 3-legged component. How come I don't see a lot of specially designed boards with 3-pads in a triangular shape? Most of what I see are straight line grids of holes and even more sophisticated IC designs.

3. Larry, thanks, I do have a dremel. madbomb, I'll see if I can get thinner wire and a pencil soldering iron. I have 2 irons already, I've gone from a thicker, apparently unremovable tip to a more powerful, fine tip and 2 more tips iron but terribly designed because it's too long and makes it unsteady to hold design. So at least now I know what to look for. I'll definitely look for that blue tack as both madbomb and GrumpyMike mentioned.